Following - 1998

"You take it away... to show them what they had."

Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) writes and directs this odd, claustrophobic neo-noir film about a seedy young Brit (Jeremy Theobald) who's obsessed with following people -- albeit harmlessly at first. After meeting a like-minded bloke (Alex Haw), the twosome graduate to breaking and entering -- but meet their match in a tough blonde dame (Lucy Russell) who may have dubious plans of her own.

This is Christopher Nolan's directorial debut with a feature-length film. He came up with the idea for the film because he had his home broken into and wondered what the people thought as they went around looking at his belongings.

MEMENTO - 2000

"Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts."


Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby snaps Polaroids of people and places, jotting down contextual notes on the backs of photos to aid in his search and jog his memory. He even tattoos his own body in a desperate bid to remember.

The medical condition experienced by Leonard in this film is a real condition called Anterograde Amnesia - the inability to form new memories after damage to the hippocampus. During the 1950s, doctors treated some forms of epilepsy by removing parts of the temporal lobe, resulting in the same memory problems.

The Red and The Black - 1997

I recently finished reading this book/novel by Stendhal and learned of a French film version (1997) that I immediately watched after reading the book. I was quite pleased by the 2-DVD and how they did a great job depicting the storyline. Of course, the details in the book are always better but this was very well done with excellent casting choices. Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black), 1830, by Stendhal, is a historical psychological novel in two volumes, chronicling a provincial young man’s attempts to socially rise beyond his plebeian upbringing with a combination of talent and hard work, deception and hypocrisy — yet who ultimately allows his passions to betray him. The novel’s composite full title, Le Rouge et le Noir, Chronique du XIXe siécle (The Red and the Black: A Chronicle of the 19th Century), indicates its two-fold literary purpose, a psychological portrait of the romantic protagonist, Julien Sorel, and an analytic, sociological satire of the French social order under the Bourbon Restoration (1814–30). In English, Le Rouge et le Noir is variously translated as Red and Black, Scarlet and Black, and The Red and the Black, without the sub-title.

The Crying Game - 1992

The Crying Game is a 1992 psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop of the Irish Troubles. The original working title of the film was The Soldier's Wife.

The Crying Game is about the experiences of the main character, Fergus (Stephen Rea), as a member of the IRA, his brief but meaningful encounter with Jody (Forest Whitaker) who is held prisoner by the group, and his unexpected romantic relationship with Jody's girlfriend, Dil (Jaye Davidson) whom Fergus promised Jody he would protect. However, unexpected events force Fergus to decide what he wants for the future, and ultimately what his nature dictates he must do.

The film opens as a psychological thriller - IRA foot soldier Fergus and a unit of other IRA fighters, including a woman named Jude and led by Maguire, kidnap Jody, a black British soldier. The IRA demands the release of other jailed IRA members, threatening to execute Jody in three days if their demands are not met. While the amiable Fergus guards Jody, they develop a bond - much to the chagrin of the other IRA men. During this time, Jody tells Fergus the story about the frog and the scorpion.

Cape Fear - 1991

Cape Fear is a 1991 thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and a remake of the 1962 film of the same name. It stars Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis and features cameos from Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam, who all appeared in the 1962 original. The film tells the story of a convicted rapist who seeks vengeance against a former public defender whom he blames for his 14-year imprisonment due to purposefully faulty defense tactics used during his trial.

The film received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor (De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Lewis).

Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) is a former Atlanta public defender who is now in private practice in the quiet town of New Essex, North Carolina. Max Cady (Robert De Niro) is an ex-client whom Bowden had defended 14 years previously in Atlanta. Cady, who was being tried for the rape and battery of a young woman, was illiterate at the time and unable to read a report Bowden had kept hidden from the court, which revealed that the victim was promiscuous. The report might have lightened Cady's sentence or even acquitted him had Bowden brought it to light. Bowden had kept it hidden, contrary to his duty as Cady's defense attorney, because he was appalled by the sheer violence in Cady's crime and wanted him to serve a severe sentence.

After his release from prison, Cady tracks down Bowden. The ex-con learned to read in prison and even assumed his own defense, unsuccessfully appealing his conviction several times. Cady hints strongly that he has learned about Bowden burying the report, noting that the judge and prosecutor in his case were trying to do right by their jobs but Cady felt betrayed by his own lawyer. Several incidents involving Cady begin to impact the Bowden family, which consists of Sam's wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and their teenage daughter, Danielle (Juliette Lewis). The family dog, Ben, is mysteriously poisoned. Cady is seen at night perched on the wall just outside the Bowden property limits. Sam attempts to have Cady arrested, but local police lieutenant Elgart (Robert Mitchum) reminds Bowden that there is no evidence Cady has committed any crime.

Strangers On A Train - 1951

Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker, and features Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock and Laura Elliott.

The film was based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.

This film is number 32 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills.

Amateur tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) wants to divorce his vulgar and unfaithful wife Miriam (Laura Elliott), so he can marry the woman he loves, the elegant and beautiful Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), daughter of a senator (Leo G. Carroll). While on a train to meet Miriam, Haines meets Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), a forward stranger who recognizes Guy from gossip items in the newspapers and knows about his marital problems. During lunch in Bruno's compartment, Bruno tells Guy about his idea for the perfect murder(s): he will kill Miriam and in exchange, Guy will kill Bruno's father. "Criss-cross", he says. Since both are strangers, otherwise unconnected, there is no identifiable motive for the crimes, Bruno contends, hence no suspicion. Guy hurriedly leaves the compartment but leaves Bruno thinking he has agreed to the deal. Guy accidentally leaves his cigarette lighter behind, a gift from Anne to Guy, which Bruno pockets.

Bruno heads to Guy's hometown of Metcalf and follows Miriam and her two beaux to an amusement park, where he briefly illuminates her face with Guy's lighter, then strangles her to death. Guy's problems begin when his alibi —

Strangers on a Train was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography, which was overseen by director of photography Robert Burks. Alfred Hitchcock was nominated for Best Director by the Directors' Guild of America. The film was nominated as Best Picture by the National Board of Review.

Vertigo - 1958

Vertigo is a psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor, based on the 1954 novel D'entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac.

It is the story of a retired police detective suffering from acrophobia who is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of an acquaintance to uncover the mystery of her peculiar behavior.

The film received mixed reviews upon initial release, but has garnered acclaim since and is now frequently ranked among the greatest films ever made, and often cited as a classic Hitchcock film and one of the defining works of his career.

The Game - 1997

"Discovering the object of the game *is* the object of the game."

What makes a good thriller is tension and unpredictability and this movie has it. Michael Douglas and Sean Penn are wonderful and the twists and turns are never ending.

In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a financial genius and a coldhearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad (Sean Penn) -- a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.

The real Game is, more-or-less, a Ph.D. caliber scavenger hunt. It's also a team event. There is no prize money. Each team's entry fee is $25,000; limited to ten teams. All of the entry money is donated to charity. The game is actually supported by several wealthy benefactors, including Microsoft's 'Bill Gates'. Each team consists of one van full of players - usually four to six people. A series of clues, often in the form of puzzles, must be solved; each clue's answers lead to the next clue. Teams travel from clue to clue, until reaching the finish line. The winners typically take about 24 hours to finish. Often the clues are so intricate and choreographed that they approximate small theatrical productions, occasionally employing a dozen or more actors.

Rebecca - 1940

I read this classic book by Daphne du Maurier and then I watched the movie. I strongly recommend one read the book before the film. It's amazing how an old Alfred Hitchcock film can still hold its own after so many years.


Rebecca is a 1940 psychological/dramatic thriller and it is Alfred Hitchcock's first American project. It was Hitchcock's first film produced under his contract with David O. Selznick. The film's screenplay was an adaptation by Joan Harrison and Robert E. Sherwood from Philip MacDonald and Michael Hogan's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel of the same name, and was produced by Selznick. It stars Laurence Olivier as the aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter, Joan Fontaine as his second wife, and Judith Anderson as the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers.


The film is a gothic tale about the lingering memory of the title character, Maxim de Winter's dead first wife, which continues to haunt Maxim, his new bride, and Mrs. Danvers. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture out of a total 11 nominations. Olivier, Fontaine and Anderson were all Oscar nominated for their respective roles. Since the introduction of awards for actors in supporting roles, this is the only film named Best Picture that won no other Academy Award for acting, directing or writing.


It was the opening film at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival. It's a true motion-picture classic.

The Silence of the Lambs - 1991

To be a good psychological thriller a film has to have enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat and get into your head enough to keep you thinking about it well after the credits have rolled. This is just that film.

In preparation for his role, Anthony Hopkins studied files of serial killers. Also, he visited prisons and studied convicted murderers and was present during some court hearings concerning serial killings.

Jodie Foster spent a great deal of time with FBI agent Mary Ann Krause prior to filming and it was Krause who gave Foster the idea of Starling standing by her car crying. Krause told Foster that at times, the work just became so overbearing that this was a good way to get an emotional release.

In this pulse-pounding adaptation of Thomas Harris's novel, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer; unfortunately, her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape … and now, two deranged killers are on the loose.

Irreversible - 2002

I watched this film last year because I am a fan of Vincent Cassel and he is amazing in this. A vast mojority of the dialogue is improvised and the cast is awesome. But this is one of those movies that once you see it, you never forget it. Told in reverse this movie will make you angry and sad and feeling dirty.

This French thriller chronicles the unspeakable horror of rape and the aftermath of revenge. When a woman is brutally violated, her angered boyfriend and ex-boyfriend team up to track down the rapist and take justice into their own hands. Albert Dupontel, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci star, and Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone) directs. Nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

It is violent, dark, disturbing, depressing, and honest.

Antibodies - 2005

The psychological thriller is probably one of my favorite genres, and this is a worthy example.

Small town farmer and policeman Michael is haunted by the brutal death of a local girl and the mental games played by a recently apprehended serial killer who holds the key. Perfect casting, exceptional performances, and gorgeous cinematography make this worth watching. The film's thoughtful writing leads an intelligent viewer along a dark path and asks if they can recognize evil, or see the seeds of its infectious nature.